An Evil Heart

CW: description of several sexual assaults, including a gang rape; explicit description of autopsy process

The fifteenth book in the reliable Kate Burkholder series starts with the grisly murder of a young Amish man by crossbow. The killing appears to be planned and the target deliberate, but everyone tells formerly Amish Chief of Police Burkholder that Aden Karn was polite and charming. He was planning to marry his girlfriend soon, and although he was on rumspringa, he was going to be baptized into the faith when that phase ended. Kate's investigation reveals that there was more to the victim than the face he showed to the Amish, which opens up new potential perpetrators and motives.

The disturbing search for the killer contrasts sharply with the last few days of planning for Kate's wedding to her longtime boyfriend, John Tomasetti. The couple has forged a strong bond despite their respective troubled pasts. Will Kate close the case in time to get married without endangering her life?

The books in this series have a predictable pattern. Someone is murdered in Kate's jurisdiction, she enlists her small, loyal team of officers and dispatchers, and she interviews suspects or other persons of interest. Throughout the process she is uncomfortably reminded that, although she speaks German and knows many of the Painters Mill residents, she voluntarily left the fold many years ago, and is now viewed with mistrust. The case in An Evil Heart is one of the most horrifying to date, but the emotional core of the story is Kate's dawning realization that she does have a place in the Amish community, albeit not quite the one she envisioned as a young girl.

Let's hope that Kate and Tomasetti at least get to enjoy a brief honeymoon before the next murder is committed. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.